Wisconsin Retreat

October 6, 2011

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Shortly after Bradley O'Brien accepted a job as a fashion designer at global retailer Lands' End, she and her husband, Evan McGlinn, left their Manhattan home and bought 140 acres in Wisconsin's Iowa County. Mr. McGlinn paid $580,000 for the property in 2002, according to public records.
Evan McGlinn Photography…

Called McNeill Farm, the property includes a stone farmhouse that dates to the 1830s. 'We looked at a lot of houses in Madison, but there just wasn't anything with a lot of character,' Mr. McGlinn says. The couple also looked in Dodgeville, Wis., where Lands' End is based, but they could not find a home they liked there.
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'We were there for a total of 25 minutes, and we knew as soon as we walked in the house we'd buy it,' Mr. McGlinn says of the stone farmhouse near Mineral Point, noting that he and his wife particularly like older homes..
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Mr. McGlinn, a photojournalist, says he and his wife did some work on the 3,267-square-foot home after buying it.
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They renovated the kitchen, updating the appliances.
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They also converted a root cellar with a stone floor into a wine cellar.
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The house has a total of seven rooms, including three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The master suite is shown here.
Evan McGlinn Photography…

The master suite has one of the home's two wood-burning fireplaces.
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The master bathroom is pictured here.
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Mr. McGlinn and his wife, married 12 years, have two young sons, both born in Wisconsin.
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The property includes a barn, as well as a storage shed. An artisanal organic farm is nearby.
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The property includes a prairie orchard, an herb garden, a vegetable garden and an apple orchard.
Evan McGlinn Photography…

Mr. McGlinn says he and Ms. O'Brien previously owned a home near Mill Brook, N.Y., so making the transition from New York City to Wisconsin, 'wasn't as hard as you would think.' He adds, 'Living in Wisconsin was like living in our New York weekend house except we never had to move back to the city.'
Evan McGlinn Photography…

The couple moved to Massachusetts about two years ago, after Ms. O'Brien accepted a job as the creative design director at Sperry Top-Sider, a maker of boat shoes. Mr. McGlinn says they rented the property to a Lands' End executive for a year, but it has been vacant for the past year. Though he hasn't been to the property in two years, neighbors do frequently check on the property, he notes.
Evan McGlinn Photography…

The property has an asking price of $895,000, down from the original asking price of $1.1 million three years ago, Mr. McGlinn says. He and his wife have now decided to try an auction, which is scheduled for October 14. 'It can be a very effective way to sell a house because it causes some urgency,' he says. Fine & Company is handling the auction, which has no minimum bid.
Evan McGlinn Photography…